bradco
I just bought the Lindberg LCVP kit. ... I tried looking for a review of this kit & just can't find any. I notice one thing: the styrene is a kind of military gray. The instructions suggest to leave some of these parts unpainted, I assume because the styrene matches the original color (!?). Needless to say, I do plan to spray flat primer & carefully paint all.
That's an interesting thought, I had not thought to go look for a kit review.
The rope nailed to the gunwale (aka gunn'l) is largely a US Army affectation, but has been found on MSTS-operated ships, too. That rope will be painted to match the hull (but would be a good weathering candidate with some "exposed" rope showing).
Painting is going to be heavily influenced on time and location. For LCVP carried from davits on AKA, APA, and APD and the like, the 'VPs will be painted to match the area on the ship. Which is likely to look odd. For the ones stacked as deck cargo, it will depend on the nesting and hatch location.
Post-war, they will be "haze grey" with some version of "deck" grey in the well deck area. Cox's'n and MotorMac positions ought to have non-skid. Note that you can pretty much cover over the MG positions. Oh, and rather than fuss with the detail on them, a nice lumpy waterproof cover is far more apt than having them exposed. Which they only will be if manned, and then only in the waves in the very first part of a landing.
Now, LCVP in US Army service are often in a darker grey overall. They can even be army green if part of a river-crossing unit.